Doveman – Footloose

There are plus points to having a broken MP3 player. Since the screen on my Creative Zen imploded back in February, I can’t see anything that’s going on. This makes basic operations very difficult indeed but it also means that I can’t choose what I listen to. I carry around a big, fat lump of a thing that does an over-priced impression of an iPod shuffle with the thousands of songs stored within. On one hand, it’s annoying and frustrating, but on the other, it kind of forces me to listen to stuff I wouldn’t have chosen to. This makes for many accidental reminders of songs I had long since forgotten or downloaded and never really listened to.

Doveman‘s cover of the Kenny Loggin’s “classic” is one I had certainly forgotten about. His minimal, moody and breathy delivery makes the song virtually unrecognisable from the chirpy original that made Kevin Bacon twirl around uncontrollably in a town where dancing is outlawed. Really if you weren’t to know this was the same song, only a thoroughly embarrassing knowledge of the lyrics would help you to identify it. Doveman is a peculiar little band/person. The moniker is essentially a pseudonym for Thomas Bartlett, though the band officially includes a few other members including the exceptional Sam Amidon. Head honcho Bartlett is also credited as having worked with Antony and the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Yoko Ono, The National, and even our own lads, The Frames. Bartlett actually recorded his own version of the entire Footloose soundtrack but it eventually got some lawyers in a tizzy and was taken down from his site. You can however, stream the whole thing at imeem. I’d also recommend checking out another of their foot-tapping hits, “Dancing”.